Editor's Note: With this latest win, Mission Hill puts another international feather in its cap. Appropriate, because Mission Hill is one BC winery that has not just been preaching to the local choir. They may be one of the few who have the means to do so, but they have shown a fair amount of initiative in spreading the word to the US market by flying in groups of sommeliers from New York restaurants for extended tours of the Okanagan Valley all summer long. Luckily for them, they also have enough product to do the follow through should some of them start placing orders.
MISSION HILL SCORES WITH ICEWINE(
Shortened from the AP press report.)
Mission Hill Family Estate has won the
International Wine Challenge (
IWC) Trophy for the "World's Top Icewine" at Europe's major wine competition. The Trophy will be presented to Mission Hill proprietor
Anthony von Mandl at a black tie awards banquet in London in front of 800 members of the UK and international wine trade this Wednesday for the
Mission Hill Family Estate 2006 Reserve Riesling Icewine. In the past eight years only three Icewines have been successful in achieving this award. This will be the first category Trophy awarded in the past four years with competing wines judged from five countries.
"We were caught by total surprise, as our principle focus at Mission Hill are complex red wines such as
Oculus along with whites that express the unique characteristics of the Okanagan," said von Mandl. "This is the biggest award since winning the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 1994 for "Best Chardonnay World Wide". It's great to see our relentless obsession and commitment to producing great wines paying off and the Okanagan Valley being recognized internationally. I truly believe this is only the beginning of where the valley and Mission Hill Family Estate is going."
Mr. von Mandl is receiving the trophy along with the other eight awards bestowed on Mission Hill Family Estate by the IWC this year including the:
2006 Select Lot Collection Riesling icewine,
2006 Reserve Vidal icewine,
2006 Five Vineyards icewine,
2006 Reserve Chardonnay,
2006 Reserve Riesling,
2006 Sauvignon Blanc, and
2006 Reserve Pinot Blanc.
The UK based International Wine Challenge receives over 9,000 entries from 40 countries which are tasted blind by a team of 400 judges.
"The 2006 vintage was the best season we've had since I arrived in the Valley in the early 1990s. We had an outstanding classic Okanagan summer with low humidity and above average heat that enabled us to achieve perfect ripeness levels for the grapes when an earlier than normal cold snap hit us in late November. This early arctic outflow of -15 degrees C gave us a superior combination of abundant fruit with extended hangtime, enabling us to craft an elegant icewine that was over 40 Brix at harvest but yet with well-balanced acidity,"
John Simes, Chief Winemaker, Mission Hill Family Estate.
About the region: British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, with only about 7,500 total vineyard acres, is among the smallest wine producing regions in the world. (By comparison California is approaching 500,000 acres and the EU is the world's largest producer with approximately 9.6 million acres).
About the winery: Mission Hill Family Estate is the vision of Proprietor Anthony von Mandl who founded the winery in 1981 with the goal to make the Okanagan Valley an internationally recognized premium wine appellation. At that time there were only 5 wineries in the Valley, with the total today being approximately 150 wineries.
About Icewine: Icewine first originated in Roman times where grapes were not harvested until after the frost, icewine or "eisenwin", now must meet highly exacting criteria to be considered the precious liquid that is so widely sought after across the globe. With the highest standards in the world, Canada requires that the grapes be naturally frozen on the vine at a minimum of -8 degrees C and at 35 Brix sweetness level or higher. The long hangtime combined with gently pressing frozen grapes produces small quantities of juice with a rich concentrated fruit flavour, high natural sweetness and well-balanced acidity.
